Mariel Williams
editor@mitchellnews.com
Mitchell County is extending its contract with Southern Disaster Recovery and adding a contract with CrowderGulf Disaster Recovery & Debris Management in order to cope with extensive hurricane damage.
At a Board of Commissioners meeting last week, County Manger Allen Cook said that the scope of the debris problem requires more help.
“We have a lot of debris — more debris than any other county in the state,” Cook said. “So we’ve now split the county in half.”
CrowderGulf will now take responsibility for collecting debris north of Bakersville, and SDR will continue pickup in the southern part of the county.
Cook said there may be a slight pause in debris cleanup in the north end of the county as the collection responsibility transitions to CrowderGulf.
Cook also noted that North Carolina has increased the payment schedule for debris removal in order to make sure enough contractors and sub-contractors are available for disaster recovery.
“The rates that were set (before) … are no longer competitive,” Cook said. “A lot of our locals say ‘I would rather haul rock for the railroad, because I’m making more money than debris.’”
Comprehensive recovery
The county is also going to begin working with Hunt, Guillot & Associates on “comprehensive disaster recovery.” HGA is a program management and engineering firm that works out of several states, mostly in the gulf region.
Cook said that having a team of professionals to help oversee the disaster recovery will help the county make sure it is complying with the regulations that govern federal aid, avoiding situations where the county might spend money on needs that are not covered by federal regulations and be unable to recoup that expense.
“There is a lot of money and a lot of funding that you can direct into your county if you know how to go about it,” Cook said.
Finance Director Mavis Parsley said that HGA has been helpful to her staff already.
“We love them,” Parsley said. “It took so much stress off of us, knowing that we’ve got experts here and it’s not just the financial side — they’re helping Allen with the debris side.”
Mitchell Medics update
Mitchell Medics has changed its personnel policies to improve recruitment, according to a presentation at the Mitchell County Board of Commissioners last week.
Director Wade Huntsinger said he has been working the emergency medical service’s staffing issues since last year.
“We’ve started a visible pay structure, where it’s incentive pay for different certifications and degrees,” he said.
Mitchell Medics now also offers recruitment bonuses for experienced emergency personnel.
However, Huntsinger said that there is a trend where other agencies may find ways to match what Mitchell is offering.
“With the paramedic crisis in the country … it just goes around — one county raises the pay and people go over there,” he said.
Huntsinger said that the recent decision to add a third ambulance at night has gone well.